Pat Cummins was the first player to breach the 20 crore mark when Sunrisers Hyderabad acquired him for the princely sum in the IPL 2024 auction. Pat Cummins, the World Cup Winning captain would be keen to stamp the authority against the opposition teams.
The cricket world was abuzz in anticipation of a bidding war between franchisees for acquiring the services of Pat Cummins after Australia were crowned world champions in the recently concluded ODI World Cup in India as well as the winner of the ICC WTC 2021-23 final against India
Will Pat Cummins replace Aiden Markram?
Cricket logic says Yes. One of the reasons why SRH paid a considerable amount was to have a captain leading from the front in IPL 2024/ Last year was a dismal performance from SRH, with skipper Aiden Markram unable to have an impact that left them at the bottom of the table.
Are overseas captains a practical proposition in IPL?
Time and again, cricket pundits have questioned the effectiveness of an overseas player leading franchisee as most players are from India. An obvious disadvantage is the language barrier that prevents effective communication, especially on the field.
Pat Cummins has an excellent record as captain.
His white-ball captaincy in ODI in Australian colous is exceptional, with an 80% winning record in the 13 matches he has been captain. He has won the ODI World Cup 2023 and the ICC World Test Championship. However, his credentials as a skipper have been questioned time and again.
Cricket experts think that his statistics are good only because of the players in the team. He has been lucky to have great players in the group. In all fairness, he has proven to be a leader who walks the talk and leads from the front.
He has a calm head on his shoulders and rotates the players well, utilising resources that give him the best advantage on the ground in any situation.
Can Pat Cummins manage a franchisee?
His most difficult challenge will be managing the Indian pool of players with marginal or no international experience, but rest assured, he will give his best shot. Let us wait and watch how Sunrises Hyderabad handles him.
There were murmurs of discontent from many players in IPL 2023, mainly from Markram, on the owners’ level and manner of interference. Let us hope they can build an effective line of communication with Pat Cummins that helps SRH perform better.
“Does Pat Cummins take over that franchise?” In a discussion with Star Sports, Simon Doull asks about SunRisers Hyderabad’s overseas selection conundrum after Cummins’ acquisition.